Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is now partnering with Ancient Faith Radio to share homilies recorded live during services on campus, in a new podcast called Give Me a Word, Homilies from Three Hierarchs Chapel.
Featured clergy include SVOTS Faculty, honored guests, and students. The podcast is set to be released weekly, offering an opportunity for the wider SVOTS community and alumni to stay in close communion with life here at the Seminary.
Give Me a Word is available to stream via Ancient Faith Radio, or via the Apple Podcasts app.
St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has announced Seminarian Dn Silouan Parchert as the winner of the 5th Annual St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest.
Seminarians were invited to submit essays for the contest in September 2022. After careful deliberation, the panel of anonymous donors awarded the $3,000 scholarship to Dn Silouan for his essay, titled “God is Greater than our Hearts”.
The essay topic for this year’s contest centered around the potential issues that arise from modern parenting trends towards a “friend” relationship with their children, as opposed to the more traditional “authority figure” relationship. Respondents were asked to discuss the implications of both parenting styles, and to consider what kind of counsel they might give if asked for advice on this matter in the future. Participants were asked to frame their responses in light of the passage from 1 John 3.18–20,
Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
The panel of donors gave specific feedback and praise for each essay submission, and expressed their appreciation for the efforts of all the participants. The decision to award Dn Silouan with the scholarship was thoughtfully made based on several points, especially for his understanding that “a parent can do all that is meet and right as a Christian parent should and be painfully rejected by their own child”. Dn Silouan invites Christian parents to take comfort and inspiration from Christ in prayer, writing,
He knows the pain of giving His very life as an offering, only to be betrayed and abandoned. If we align ourselves with our Savior, then we, as parents, can be strengthened as we set limits, model virtue, honor freedom, and above all pray for our children. Lord, give us strength!
Dn Silouan expressed his gratitude for the St Matthias Merit Scholarship, underscoring how much he and his whole family appreciate the additional support.
“My family and I are incredibly blessed to be receiving this scholarship. We are very grateful for the donors who are helping to fund my education here at St Vladimir’s Seminary,” wrote Dn Silouan. “I also appreciate the opportunity to think deeply about a pastoral matter with which many clergy and leaders within parishes are confronted: how to advise parents on boundary setting vs. leniency, and other difficult parenting topics.”
Dn Silouan is a first-year seminarian in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program at St Vladimir’s Seminary, and is projected to graduate in May 2025. He was ordained a deacon in July 2020, after completing the OCA Diaconal Vocations Program. All Saints of North America Orthodox Church, in Albuquerque, NM is Dn Silouan’s home parish;he is currently attached as a deacon at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the St Vladimir’s Seminary campus. Dn Silouan and his wife, Mat. Emilia, have three children, Colin, Brendan, and Sebastian.
Congratulations, Dn Silouan!
About the St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest
The St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest is offered annually, thanks to the generous contributions of a family of anonymous donors. These donors also select the topic of the essay contest each year and develop thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner.
The contest is one of many offerings by the Seminary to help its seminarians graduate tuition-debt free as they go forth to serve the Church. SVOTS also administers need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, continuing education grants, and matching grant opportunities for seminarians. These are made possible thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to St Vladimir’s.
God is Greater than our Hearts, by St Vladimir’s Seminarian Dn Silouan Parchert, was chosen as the winning entry of the 5th Annual St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest. The anonymous donors who sponsor the contest each year asked participants to reflect on the potential issues that arise from modern parenting trends towards a “friend” relationship with their children, as opposed to the more traditional “authority figure” relationship. Respondents were asked to discuss the implications of both parenting styles, and to consider what kind of counsel they might give if asked for advice on this matter in the future, in light of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John’s instruction to know that “God is greater than our hearts” in 1 John 3.18–20.
God is Greater than our Hearts
What is our ultimate aim for our children? Do we want them to be hard-working and productive members of society as adults? Or better yet, do we want them to be saints? And if we desire sanctity for our children, as all Christian parents should, how do we foster and facilitate growth in Christian virtue? All discussion of parenting must begin with these fundamental questions. It is only with the end in mind that we can properly begin to discuss questions of Christian parenting.
No one would argue that limitations are necessary for daily living. Most adults have responsibilities and therefore make sacrifices for higher purposes, beyond immediate desires. For the Orthodox Christian, asceticism–the practice of self-denial–is how we attain purification from passions and communion with Christ. According to Orthodox parenting expert Dr. Philip Mamalakis, “[w]e venerate our children as icons of Christ by respecting them as persons as we set limits with them.” If we want our children to be saints, then restrictions aren’t optional; they are necessary for the acquisition of virtue.
Some freedom and leniency is also necessary for children, the degree to which will depend largely on maturity. Children need to practice virtue as an act of free will. If we, as parents, overly restrict our children, then we deprive them of opportunities to act generously, kindly, lovingly, etc. Virtue needs to be trained, and not coerced.
It is here that we get to the heart of an important pastoral question: How much stock should we put in being liked or friended by our children? It is important to remember that children are not given to us for our fulfillment. Even if we work at maintaining a peaceful household in accordance with St. Paul’s exhortation (Rom 12.18), we shouldn’t expect that our children will always be friendly with us; to demand such is narcissistic on our part.
Even with the recognition that good parents set boundaries, lead by virtuous example, and honor free-will, there is real pain when our children turn away from us. Parents can take solace in 1 John 3.20: “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” In other words, if we experience pain because of our children’s rejection, God is greater than our pain, and He understands our intentions. Children will break our hearts by rebelling and acting in ways contrary to the Gospel and our wishes. Christ knows our pain, and he knows rejection. He knows the pain of giving His very life as an offering, only to be betrayed and abandoned. If we align ourselves with our Savior, then we, as parents, can be strengthened as we set limits, model virtue, honor freedom, and above all pray for our children. Lord, give us strength!
Dn Silouan is a first-year seminarian in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program at St Vladimir’s Seminary, and is projected to graduate in May 2025. He was ordained a deacon in July 2020, after completing the OCA Diaconal Vocations Program. All Saints of North America Orthodox Church, in Albuquerque, NM is Dn Silouan’s home parish;he is currently attached as a deacon at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the St Vladimir’s Seminary campus. Dn Silouan and his wife, Mat. Emilia, have three children, Colin, Brendan, and Sebastian.
Last month, in a joint ceremony honoring His Holiness, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) of India, several distinguished SVOTS faculty members were also honored by the announcement of faculty chairs, sponsored by long-standing endowments. These faculty awards are a major first step toward SVOTS' goal of creating faculty chairs in the various academic disciplines represented at the Seminary (and other disciplines as SVOTS looks to expand its faculty).
“The creation of faculty chairs, with support from our endowments, will give us more freedom to do other things in addition to expanding the faculty and supporting related programs and degree programs we offer,” Fr. Chad Hatfield, President of Seminary, explained.
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) will hold its 1st Annual Academic Symposium on October 27-29, 2022.
The keynote address is open to the public for in-person and online attendance on Oct. 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM EDT, hosted in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium. The address, given by The Rev. Canon Maxwell E. Johnson, PhD, is entitled: Lex orandi est lex credendi: Alexander Schmemann’s Liturgical Theology in Ecumenical Context. The remainder of the symposium is private, attendance is by invitation only.
Professor Johnson describes his upcoming talk in the following words:
This lecture will provide, first, an overview of Alexander Schmemann's approach to liturgical theology, especially his use of the formula "lex orandi est lex credendi" and his articulation of the Ordo as the basic underlying structure and theology of liturgy, in relationship to the classic articulation of "ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi'' of Prosper of Aquitane. The second part will focus on how some contemporary liturgical theologians have used Schmemann's approach to articulate positions which, while seeming to build on him, may actually have misunderstood him. The lecture will conclude with a focus on ecumenism and suggest a new line of liturgical theology and liturgical theologians.
The 1st Annual Academic Symposium at SVOTS focuses on Liturgy and Theology. Seminary Faculty will interact with leading voices in the liturgical studies field from around the world, and have plans to build upon this event by participating in other exchanges, as well as to publish more work in the academic sphere which contributes to Orthodox theological viewpoints on matters of liturgics, patristics, Church history, and biblical studies.
Speakers presenting during the in-house portion of the symposium include Metropolitan Job (Getcha), Fr Thomas Pott, Nina Glibetic, Dn Daniel Galadza, Stig R. Frøyshov, Dn Vitaly Permiakov, Dn Mark Roosien, and Fr Arsenius Mikhail. Portions of the Symposium will be recorded and published on the SVOTS Youtube channel after the conclusion of the event.
About Professor Maxwell Johnson:
The Rev. Canon Maxwell E. Johnson is a noted scholar, author and teacher, as well as professor of liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. An ordained Lutheran minister, Dr Johnson has a doctorate in theology, with an emphasis in liturgical history, from Notre Dame; he also has master’s degrees in theology from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, and from Notre Dame. In addition, he has a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.
Some of Dr Johnson's main research interests include the origins and development of early Christian Liturgy, with a special focus on the early history of the rites of Christian initiation, the early eucharistic liturgy, and the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year. He has published important translations of patristic works from Greek into English, including St Cyril of Jerusalem’sLectures on the Christian Sacraments, published by SVS Press in 2017.
May God grant many blessed years to the St Vladimir's Seminary alumni and students who were recently ordained! Axios!
HOLY PRIESTHOOD
Priest Nicholas Fine
(3rd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA) Holy Diaconate: Ordained 12SEPT21 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph at St Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, NY Holy Priesthood: Ordained 25SEPT22by His Grace, Bishop John (Abdalah) at St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, CT Current Ministry: Virgin Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Yonkers, NY Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University, Portland, OR
Priest Basil Puthukkunnathu Mathai
(M.Div., ‘20)
Jurisdiction: Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America Holy Diaconate: Ordained 19MARCH22 by the hand of His Eminence, Mor Titus Yeldho at St Ephrem Cathedral, Malankara Archdiocesan Headquarters, Old Tappan, NJ Holy Priesthood: Ordained 8OCT22by His Eminence, Mor Titus Yeldho at St Ephrem Cathedral, Malankara Archdiocesan Headquarters, Old Tappan, NJ Current Ministry: Serves at St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church of White Plains, NY (Bronxville, NY); MGSOSA Northeast regional clergy advisor Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in history & international affairs from the University of Georgia; M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Boston College; currently teaches history at a high school in Newark, NJ
Priest Anthony (Gaelan) Gilbert
(M.Div., ‘20)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA) Holy Diaconate: Ordained 24OCT21 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS Holy Priesthood: Ordained 16OCT22by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS Current Ministry: St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY
Educational and Professional Background: Adjunct professor of literature and history at Hellenic College-Holy Cross, Brookline, MA; department chair and associate professor of arts and humanities at the University of Saint Katherine, San Marcos, CA; headmaster at Christ the Savior Academy in Wichita, KS; Ph.D. in English and medieval literature and culture from the University of Victoria; M.A. in English language and literature from San Diego State University
HOLY DIACONATE
Deacon Geevarghese (Renish) Abraham
(2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) Holy Diaconate: Ordained 20AUG22 by His Grace, Youhanon Mar Demetrios at Ss Peter and Paul’s Orthodox Church, Parumala, Kerala, India Educational and Professional Background: Assistant professor of English at St Stephen's College, University of Delhi (on sabbatical); Ph.D. in English studies and M.A. in English literature from the University of Delhi; B.A. in English language and literature from Catholicate College, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Do you feel called to serve the Church, either in ordained ministry, academia, or another vocation? Explore that calling at St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s on-site Open House, October 14–16!
Prospective seminarians are invited to take a closer look at the spiritual, academic, and residential life at St. Vladimir’s. Pray in the chapel, attend classes, speak with Seminary professors, and enjoy our beautiful campus.
Prospective students will be responsible to cover transportation (to and from the Seminary) and lodging expenses (2 nights). Meals will be provided by the Seminary.
Fall Open House Schedule
Friday, October 14
By 3:30 pm - Arrivals
4:00 pm - Welcome Remarks by President & Academic Dean
5:00 pm - Dinner
Saturday, October 15
7:30 am - Continental Breakfast
8:30 am - Campus & Library Tours
9:30 am - Full-Time Faculty and Degree Programs Presentation
11:30 am - Tuition & Financial Aid
12:00 pm - Lunch & Group Discussion with Current Seminarians
1-3:00 pm - Discussion and Q&A Session with Faculty Members
3:15 pm - Meeting and Discussion with Spiritual Formation Director
4:00 pm - Admissions and Q&A Session
5:00 pm - Dinner
6:00 pm - All-Night Vigil
Sunday, October 16
9:00 am - Divine Liturgy
11:00 am - Brunch and Closing Remarks
12:30 pm - Departure
On October 3, 2022, at 5 p.m. EDT, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) will serve a Panikhida for His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, on the 40th day of his repose (August 22, 2022). The Panikhida will take place in the Three Hierarchs Chapel at St Vladimir’s, and is open to the public. The Panikhida will also be livestreamed.
Immediately following the Panikhida, at 5:30 p.m. EDT, via the same livestream, The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander (Golitzin), and Dr Peter Bouteneff will share personal remembrances of Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) and reflect on his relationship with the Seminary and SVS Press.
Click the registration button below to register and gain access to the livestream link.
For many years following his retirement as a university lecturer, Metropolitan Kallistos continued to publish and to give lectures on Orthodox Christianity, traveling widely. He was considered by many to be one of the most important Orthodox Christian theologians of his generation.
On September 16–18, 2022, the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative (OCLI) hosted their sixth Annual National Orthodox Advanced Leadership Conference at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS). The conference theme, “Money: The Gospel Changes Everything,” drew a pan-Orthodox crowd of over 100 clergy and lay participants, both in-person and online, hailing from multiple locations in the US and abroad.
The three-day conference featured a diverse panel of twelve clergy and lay leaders, who explored the topic of money and financial management from a biblical standpoint. Speakers laid out a Christ-centered perspective on wealth and financial management, guiding the attendants through the concepts of generosity, almsgiving, and Christian stewardship in the Orthodox Church.
The first presentation was given by Dr Andy Geleris, whose recent book, Money & Salvation: An Invitation to the Good Way, points out the inconsistencies between the Gospels’ teaching on money and a prevailing idea among Christians that finances are “unspiritual” and a topic to be avoided. In his talk, “Salvific Giving,” Dr Geleris called attention to the fact that Jesus addressed finances and possessions very often in his teachings, and in each instance, he consistently focused on the salvation of the giver, rather than the earthly outcome for the recipient. Dr Geleris highlighted the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man (Matt 19.16–22), where Jesus commands him to give all of his wealth to the poor, primarily “in order to remove a significant obstacle to the man’s ability to inherit eternal life.”
Another headlining presentation was given by SVOTS president, The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, “The Cure of Souls and the Absence of Stewardship,” in which he called on both clergy and laypeople to think of “stewardship as part of working out our salvation in our parishes and in our individual lives.” The topic of stewardship was also addressed by Fr Barnabas Powell, who spoke on “The Parish as Steward,” and The Very Rev. Dr Robert Holet, with his talk on “Biblical and Patristic Foundations of Stewardship.”
OCLI Executive Director, Hollie Benton, spoke on “Cultivating Generosity in Children,” outlining practical ways to transform daily activities into opportunities for modeling trust in the Lord’s provision and sharing with others. Further presentations highlighting actionable strategies for Christian money management included “Cultivating Contentment in Young Households,” by Fr Nicholas Hubbard, and “The Blessing of Wealth Transfer,” by Dean Harbry, PCC.
His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska put forth the patristic definition of giving as a virtue of paramount importance in his talk, “Giving as a Transformative Spiritual Discipline.” Other fascinating lectures given in the three-day event included “Tempted by Accumulation,” by Presbytera Stacey Dorrance; “Tithing: A Baby Step,” by The Very Rev. Fr Patrick O’Grady; “Tempted by Wealth,” by Gabriel Otte; and “Almsgiving as Mercy Giving,” by The Very Rev. Fr Aaron Warwick. Other conference resources are available on the OCLI website.
The Seminary and OCLI plan to co-host the next Advanced Leadership Conference in fall 2023. St Vladimir’s has also collaborated with OCLI to offer a Master of Arts Degree in Orthodox Christian Leadership Studies, with the hope of equipping leaders who serve their parishes, schools, non-profits, and workplaces with servant leadership formation and practice.
About OCLI
The Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative exists to nurture and empower Orthodox Christian servant leadership. It is a national initiative to increase generosity, servant leadership, and social outreach by clergy and laity of all jurisdictions working together nationally, regionally, and locally.
Originating from the Orthodox Vision Foundation and its annual Orthodox Advanced Leadership Conferences beginning in 2017 and hosted at St Vladimir’s Seminary, the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in October 2018.
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) hosted a special academic convocation Friday, September 23, 2022, to honor His Holiness, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) of India; and to honor several of the Seminary's faculty members.
Conferral of Honorary Doctorate
SVOTS bestowed the degree of Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa upon His Holiness, who was visiting the United States for the first time since his enthronement as catholicos. The ceremony was attended by members of the SVOTS community, a large number of MOSC clergy (many of them SVOTS alumni) and laity from parishes in the Tri-State area, and other guests. His Grace, Zachariah Mar Nicholovos of the MOSC's Northeast American Diocese, and a member of SVOTS Board of Trustees, opened the ceremony. His Grace, Youhanon Mar Demetrios, the metropolitan of the MOSC's Diocese of Delhi in India was also in attendance.
“I am humbled that St. Vladimir's Seminary has given me this great honor,” said His Holiness. “I accept this honorary doctorate, not for our modest self, but for the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.”
His Holiness is known for his philanthropic work, among other areas of his ministry. He works tirelessly to uplift the poor in India, and has started many ventures to provide economic opportunities for impoverished women, in particular.
Upon receiving the honorary degree, His Holiness also mentioned that he had first heard about St. Vladimir's decades ago as a student at St. Petersburg Theological Academy in Russia (then known as the Leningrad Theological Academy), and dreamed of studying at SVOTS as well someday. But after his studies in Russia his bishop at the time sent His Holiness to continue his education in Rome instead.
“Think of it—tonight, you have actually become an alumnus of St. Vladimir's Seminary!” SVOTS President The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield remarked after His Holiness's words.
“We were deeply honored to receive His Holiness, the Catholicos,” Fr. Chad added later. “This night was as much a recognition of his ministry and efforts for the Church in India as it was a joyful celebration of the Seminary's longstanding history with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. We look forward to continuing and strengthening our partnership with the Malankara Church in the future, with the prayers and guidance of His Holiness.”
To that end, His Holiness met with SVOTS’ administration and faculty as part of his visit to campus to discuss joint future endeavors, which could include student exchanges, publications, and further dialogue. He also spent time with MOSC seminarians, leading vespers in the Seminary's Malankara chapel and giving a talk to the students who had gathered from both St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's seminaries.
Over SVOTS’ history, the Seminary has educated numerous seminarians of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church from North America and India. This year, eleven students from the MOSC are enrolled across SVOTS’ degree programs. Faithful of the MOSC have also served SVOTS in various capacities over the years, including as members of staff, faculty, and board of trustees. Currently,His Grace, Zachariah Mar Nicholovos of the MOSC’s Northeastern American Diocese serves as trustee; The Reverend Dr. Varghese M. Daniel serves as the Seminary’s assistant professor of Malankara studies.
Faculty Awards
Following the conferment of the honorary doctorate, Fr. Chad announced honors for several SVOTS faculty members. These faculty awards—tied to endowments—are a major first step toward SVOTS' goal of creating faculty chairs in the various academic disciplines represented at the Seminary (and other disciplines as SVOTS looks to expand its faculty).
“The creation of faculty chairs, with support from our endowment, will give us more freedom to do other things in addition to expanding the faculty and supporting related programs and degree programs we offer,” Fr. Chad explained.
He then announced the following honors: SVOTS Academic Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie has been named Peter N. Gramowich Professor of Church History; Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff is Kulik Professor of Sacred Arts and Systematic Theology; The Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur is John Meyendorff Associate Professor of Patristics; The Rev. Dn. Dr. Vitaly Permiakov is Alexander Schmemann Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology; Dr. Harrison Russin is Prokofiev Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music; and finally the Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield himself was named Skvir Professor of Pastoral Theology.
Giving thanks to God for all their respective work in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, May God grant His Holiness and all SVOTS faculty members honored this night many, many years!
